Monday, April 27, 2009

This past Friday, April 24, 2009 was Relay for Life held on the intramural fields. I had always been very involved in Relay for Life back at home during high school but because I was so busy I was unable to put as much of my time into it this year. I really regret that because I love relay for life so much and cancer is something that everyone is or will be touched by at some point in their lives. For me my grandmother fought breast cancer but my fourth grade teacher lost the battle. Relay for Life was a bitter sweet moment for me because it made me thankful for my grandmother but also made me miss my teacher really bad. She was like a best friend to me before she past and every year during Relay for Life I really felt like I connected with her again. This year almost all the Greek organizations along with a few non-Greek gathered on the intramural fields to walk in honor of those we have loved and lost. Phi Mu ended up raising approximately $1,000 to donate to cancer research. Even though that’s not a lot of money, it still helps the cause. There was a booth there that was a jail. It was really cute. You paid to put someone in then someone else had to pay and get them out. It was very entertaining!! I am definitely not following in my footsteps next year during relay, I am going to get right in there and help out more than I did this year, because that it one cause that is worth fighting for.

I did the scariest, most fun thing in the world Thursday night. I was in Step Show. It was freaking awesome and I loved every minute of it. We didn’t win but I think we did very well. Even though we all did it to represent Phi Mu and win the trophy, we got so much out of it other than a trophy. I got the privilege to spend good quality time with some of my senior sisters who I don’t think I would have gotten to know if it wasn’t for step show. Despite not getting first, I felt like a winner because we practiced sooooo hard for so long and we all got to know each other very well it made all the late night practices worth it. The show is posted on my facebook . You should go check it out. It’s not the best quality but it works. I would have to say that doing step show was one of the key points to this semester. It got me involved with my Phi Mu sisters and it allowed me to show a different side to myself. If any of my sissies see this post, I love you all and loved stepping beside you and I had the best time with every single one of you!!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Much to my surprise, Ashley and I were able to present at the writing festival. We were not expecting to present but it turned out to be fun. As we were sitting at our table with our fellow students we got the present our “Money” poem to the people walking by. Some people liked it and some just kept walking around probably thinking we were a little crazy. It was fun because we got to also see other students projects that were really interesting. There was one about advertising and it really caught my eye. The girls made a big poster with examples of ads that were not necessarily degrading women but ads that made women think that they have to be a certain size, use certain makeup, and have certain men with them. Another project that I really liked was a group of students who made music by beating on buckets. They were very interesting in their music and beat selection. I loved the creativity in their project and really enjoyed listening to their music.

On April 2nd, I went with Ashley Jay to the UC and walked around the event called the Clothesline Project put on by the Women’s Center here at Tech. We walked in thinking we would be in there for about 5 or 10 minutes, but we ended up looking at the shirts for over 30 minutes. Walking in I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I had never heard of or done anything like that before, but to my surprise it was an interesting experience to say the least. There were shirts hanging up on clotheslines everywhere. I’d say there were close to 300 shirts expressing people’s feelings toward rape, abuse, assault, death, etc. The shirts were all different. There were no two that were alike. They were made by people who have experienced these tragic situations and also shirts in remembrance of someone who had died from an abuser. I walked through and read every shirt. There was no possible way that you could pass a shirt by and not read what it had to say. I never realized that so many people suffer, just in our own community, from these disgusting acts. As I was walking by, reading these shirts I couldn’t help but ask myself why. Why do some fathers molest their daughters? Why would you lay a hand on your wife who you supposedly love so dearly? I still don’t understand why things like this happen in the world, but just from reading those shirts, I now understand that it happens all the time even in places and to people that you don’t expect. As I was walking out, I noticed a little 18-24 month size sweater and on the front all if said in blue sharpie was “I was only this big”. This was the most disturbing and touching shirt there. That poor little girl was put through hell for no reason. I still don’t understand.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Poems!!!!“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” By T.S. EliotI think this poem is really confusing. At one point I thought it was about a person who was dying, then I thought it was about someone who is getting old and was doing all the things they wanted to do in their lives. It starts off sounding just like a love poem. I interpreted it to be describing two love birds times together. But then it talks about the women in the room talking about Michelangelo and that just through me way off. London By William BlakeI think this poem is about some observing things going on in the world. Maybe during a time of weakness because he talks about seeing tears and fear in everyone he sees. I interpreted in the last stanza that he is talking about a prostitute or harlot and that she gets pregnant and the man who sleeps with her, his marriage is now dead. Witness by Alison WatkinsThis 3D poem has lots of beautiful paintings of women, gazing at objects or into the open. I think this signifies who the witness is. I perceived from the poem that she was speaking on behalf of women and that women witness lots of things and that its not ok to keep your mouth closed, you must speak out to be a witness.The First LanguageI believe that this 3D poem talks about many different kinds of language; language between animals, non verbal communication and speaking. I like her comparison to speaking and the rain, how it comes and goes. Language is something that we will always have but it is different everywhere and it tends to come and go (as changing over time).

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Oddly enough, I didn’t much understand the “Shopping for Pleasure” essay. I’m not really sure why, but I couldn’t grasp on to what the essay was really trying to say. I did however understand and also like the essay “Woodruff Park and the Search for Common Ground”. I loved the fact that Murphy Davis founded the Open Door Community. It is a very selfless thing that he did and it is a great example to show us how we can help others in the public spaces of our own communities. On the flip side, if you are trying to decrease the number of homeless people in a public space, it’s probably not the best idea to feed them and give them clothing there, because they will stick around or come back for more. “Cell Phone Etiquette: Shut up, Already” is soooo true. After reading this essay, I looked to see how many people where on their phones as I was walking to class, I counted approximately fifteen out of probably twenty people that I passed. Being outside on campus isn’t a huge risky public space where you could interrupt someone by talking on your cell phone, but as soon as you step into a class room as public space, your conversation to the person on the other end of the phone, has become everyone else’s business as well in the class. Overall, everyone uses cell phones and other than the few people who feel they much scream to the person that’s on the phone, I never feel a problem with people using their phones in public spaces.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Racism is still a factor in our society today. Though it may not be as harsh as it was forty years ago, it still exists as we know it. I don’t feel that myself as a person, I am racist at all. I will not treat you any different depending on your skin color or accent. That kind of behavior is just not in my moral standards. McIntosh did make some great points in her essay about the “White Privilege” that hold some true value. I believe that it is very true that whites can go about their daily life a little less stressed then some blacks, but I also believe that anyone can achieve anything, no matter race, gender, color, size, etc. Despite the wonderful world of everyone being equal, there is still a harsh reality that people are treated different based on their gender, race, etc. I agree with Tatum that being racist and realizing the difference in people starts around the preschool years. That is a time when you are first exposed to other people besides your family and are able to learn for yourself about other children your age. Although a preschooler may not understand why the other child looks that way, if they are taught to treat them differently than that is what they will do. However, if they are taught to respect everyone no matter what color skin they have, that may result in a stable, open minded child.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The beginning of the reading was rather boring. It just gave, in detail, items to look for in advertisements, ways, to analyze them, etc. The more interesting part for me was the actual advertisements. You can do and portray so many things through an advertisement. The use of text and the style of the picture say a lot. I liked how they compared the “America: Open for Business” ad and the Coach Bag ad American Open for Business uses the American Flag bag to represent being in business where as the Coach ad uses words to persuade people to buy their product without flat out saying, BUY THIS BAG. There are many ways to use advertising and these two ads do a very good job of getting their point across. The Iron Maiden is a very true article. Today, all girls want to do is look like the women in the magazines. Being yourself just isn’t enough anymore, though it seems. I, like many other girls my age have looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. I’ve said countless times that I wish I looked like that girl or had as bright of a smile as that girl. But the truth of the matter is I am perfectly fine just the way I am. I hate when ads try and tell you how beautiful women look and that if you dress or talk or do these things you’ll be beautiful. I don’t think that many of these magazine companies understand how many young girls are starving themselves or criticizing themselves just because they don’t look just like the models. I understand that fashion designers want their clothes to look the best so they think they must find the tallest, skinniest model out there, when really, their clothes would look just as great on someone who is an average 150 pound woman!

Monday, January 26, 2009

The statement, American high school is obsolete and should be abolished, could be perceived as the thesis statement in this essay. This essay clearly states the points and opinions of someone who believes that high school is pointless and that high school sports dominate the schools. I do believe that sports have a lot to do with high school involvement, but it’s also the student’s decision to be involved or to seclude themselves from the rest of the students. The Littleton shooting was a good example of what may happen when kids are picked on, but that is not always the case. I believe that when kids do these things, it’s not only an outcome of what is going on at school, but also at home. It is possible that these students had a terrible home life and just wanted attention, and being bullied at school just added to the pressure of doing something elaborate like shooting their class mates. High school may bring on pressure to kids and young adults to do things or act certain ways, but I strongly feel that it is in the power of the student himself, to justify what’s right and wrong. We all get mad and angry at times, and I’m sure we’ve all been called names before, but does that give us the right to blame it all on high school itself? Being a recent high school graduate, I feel that my high school experience was great. I was involved in sports and clubs and had a lot of friends. Being involved was my choice. I could have chosen to sit back and be a silent student but I didn’t. I believe that my high school experience was great because I was involved, so I understand where the author is coming from when he says that the active students enjoy high school more, but I do not agree with “ most thoughtful, young people suffer the high school environment in silence” because I was a thoughtful young person and yet still involved in all school activities.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Hi!!! I'm Brandi Redding. I come from a little town called White House, Tn. My family is a big part of my life and I love being with them. The newest edition to my family is my dog nilla!!! She's a lab/chow mix and is very hyper and loves to play outside. I have wanted a dog for soooo long and now I am very happy to say that I have the best dog in the world! Besides the love for my dog, i also love being at TTU. I am very involved on campus and have made some really great friends just in one semester. I joined Phi Mu sorority and love all of my sisters. I have recently moved in with two of them and am very happy that I did. I have the best roomies ever!!!